Multiple-printing, developing, fixing, washing, and drying apparatus.



6 0 9 1 l l 1 P E S D E T N E m A P S I T N E R P R QM M .L 4 0 3 8 0 N MULTIPLE PRINTING, DEVELOPING, FIXING, WASHING, AND DRYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION Hum 001.16. 1903.

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@JfaZ tny gzfpesses V PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

. F. s. R. PRENTISS'. MULTIPLE PRINTING, DEVELOPING, FIXING, WASHING, AND DRYING APPARATUS. APPLIOATIOK FILED oo'ms. 1903.

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OWN an H UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK S. R. PRENTISS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

MULTIPLE-PRINTING, DEVELOPING, FIXING. WASHING, AND DRYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

Application filed October 16, 1903. Serial No. 177,241.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK S. R. PREN- TISS, a citizen of the United States, residingat the city and in the county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Multiple-Printing, Developing, Fixing, Washin and Drying Apparatus, of which the fo owing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved ap-' paratus for reproducing and finishing hotographic prints in large quantities. ts object is to provide means whereby the successive steps of printing, developing, (or toning,) fixing, washing, and drying may be carried on continuously and to a great ex-. tent automatically in a single apparatus, and thereby do away with the manual handling of separate prints, now necessary under ordinary methods, effecting an immense saving in labor and time and producing a greater uniformity in the roduct.

It consists of tlie parts and the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully described, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan of same. Fig. 3 is section taken on line y of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a central section of tlie drier.

A represents the frame of the printing apparatus; B, the developin or toning tray; C, the fixing-tray 'rnounte upon the rollers 2 and having a limited movement on. the uides or tracks 3; D, the washing-tray, and ii the drier.

The prints to be developed or toned ac.- cording as a developing-,paper.or a printing-out paper is used. are. in the form of a continuous strip, (represented in the drawings by the character F.) Throughout the specification and claims it is desired that developing-tray or developing-bath be understood as the equivalent of. toningtray or tonin -bath.

' The sensitize roll of paper or fabric to be printed on is mounted in a dark chamber 4 in frame A upon a roller 5. Theend of the roll is carried between the tension-rollers 6, beneath the glass-plate 8, carrying the negative or negatives from which the positive impressions are to be printed, and over the stationary platform 7 disposed in a central opening in frame A.

' tra The'top of the platform or table 7 is covered with felt or other soft material and the paper is adapted to be moved intermittently across this surface with its film side up and adjacent to the film side of the superposed plate, the plate being lifted to allow the paper to travel forward and then being pressed down upon the paper during the printing period.

Passing over table 7 and under plate 8 the paper is received between a second pair of friction-rollers 13 into the storage-chamber 14 of frame A, whence the paper is drawn continuously through the successivelyarran ed developin or toning, fixing, and was ing baths and over the drier.

The aper is moved intermittently beneath tlie printing-plate 8 by any suitable means, as here shown the hand-crank 15 on one of the rollers 13.

The printing of the image upon the sensitized paper F may be done by artificial light emanating from a series of incandescent bulbs or lamps 16, carried on vertically and individually adjustable stems 17, diuposed above plate 8.

From the chamber 14 the printed sheet F passes between the tension-rollers 18 into the developing-bath contained in tray or trougclt B and thence into the fixing-bath in tra endless carrier 19, having its horizontal portion submerged in the developing-bath, passes over roller 20 at the receiving end of B and around an adjustable tension rol er 21 at the rear end of the tray. A roller 22, adjacent to roller 20 and near the bottom of the tray, directs the two planes of the belt at that end into the contained bath.

A short belt 23, passing over roller 22 and a second roller 24 just above roller 20, is adapted to be driven from carrier 19 and to cooperate with the latter in guiding and feeding the strip F into the bath.

The movable fixing-tray C carries the rigid arm extensions 25 26, projecting over the developing-tray. Arm 25 carries a roller 27, which projects into tray B, and beneath the surface of the contained bath and around which the upper plane of carrier 19 passes up to and over a roller 28 on arm 26, and thence down around a second roller 29 on arm 25 to roller 21. Thus by shiftin tray 0 back and forth on the tracks 3 space etween rollers 22 and 27, and conse uently the distance traversed by the 'deve oping-strip F in tray B, is lengthened or shortened according as the circumstances of the case demand at any moment in the period of development. For instance, if the developing-bath is stronger at one time than at another or if one section of paper has been exposed longer than another the developing period will be comparatively shorter and the fixing-carriage will be run forward by meansv of the crank 30, which is keyed on the shaft of one, of the pairs of rollers 2. If the developing period is to. be prolonged, the fixing-carriage is run backward. From roller 28 the strip F passes on to carrier 31 in "tray C. Carrier 31 passes over a roller 32 under the submerged rollers 33 34 35, thence around an elevated roller 36 at the rear end of the tray, and over the tension-' roller 37. These several rollers are journaled in and movable with the frame of tray C. Also passing over these same rollers and outside'of carrier 3 lare a series of endless tapes 38. Intermediate, however, of rollers 36 and-37 they pass down and around the grooved pulleys or spools 39, carried on the ends of the swinging arms-'40, which are pivoted to the carriage. These arms may be counter- Weighted, as at 41, to cause them normally to swing outward behind the tray 0.

42 represents aseries of guide-tapes passing over rollers 34, 35, and 43 and travel with carrier 31, tapes 38, and t e strip F and to cooperate to kee the latter subgierflged during its traverse t rough the fixing- From roller 36 the strip F follows tapes 38, down around spools-39, which latter cause the strip to leave the tapes and to pass film side down into the washing tray or trough D and upon the carrier 44. This trough may be'of any len th necessary, commensurate with the speed o the machine, to wash thoroughly the printed strip and free it of all salts that might tend to its deterioration. 1 During printing, developing, the paper is carried film 'side up. ing the apparatus two-story and returning the strip in the washing-trough beneath the printing, developing, and fixing mechanism the proper inversion of the 'film in washing is easily effected. v

From the washing-trough the stri is di rected film side up a ainaround the d rum 'E, which may be heate by any suitable means. The drum is here shown as having a hollow shaft 45, closed at one end and open at the other and having a suitable running-joint and fixing with'a' vapor-supply pipe 46, through which heat from any convenient source ,of supply ma be admitted to passthence through the hol ow spokes 47 'to the annular space 48 betweenthe concentric rim-sections. I On leav ada ted to By making the drier the strip is ready to be cut up and the finished plrints segregated.

'In order that t e several steps of developing, fixing, washing, and drying should be by means of bevelears 50, engaging corresponding gears on t e rollers 51 of the washcarrier.

. The developing-carrier 19 and fixing-carrier 31 are driven in unison and at the same rate of speed with carrier 44 by the following means: An endless chain-or belt' 52 passes around a sprocket or pulle on the shaft of roller 20 and over a 'secon sprocket or pulley on a shaft 53, which latter carries a bevelgear engaging a corresponding gear 54 on shaft 49. The shaft of roller 20 carries a second pulley 55, around which passes a belt 56. The latterruns around a pulley 57 on a fixed part of the frame, and thence over a pulley 58 On shaft of roller 32 and thence around the 111 ley 59, carried by an adjustable arm 60 on the movable carriage C. Thus the develo ing and fixing carriers may be run constant y irrespective of the position of the carriage C on its tracks. All forward and backward movement of-the carriage C is compensated for by means of the pulleys 58 and 59. Ifin the midst of operations when the strip F is passing through the washer and over the drier it should be necessary to shiftthe fixing-tray forward or back to shorten or roo lengthen the period ofdevelopment, the arms 40 will swing on their pivots to maintain an equal tension on the strip and prevent its being torn.

The drier is driven in unison with the other cooperating movable parts of the a paratus by means of a bevel-gear 61 on sha t 45, en-

gaging a corresponding gear on vertical shaft 62, which is operated from shaft 49 through the medium 0 suitable gearing 63.

The various carriers and the drier are IIO geared up so as to carry the paper forward I always at the same rate of travel.

The apparatus is thus continuous and except for the attention necessary to see that development roceeds properly is ractically automatic. The speed of travel 0 the paper during development and the successive stages is adjusted so that it will not be drawn from chamber 14 fasterthan it is fed thereinto.

I do not claim in t iis application the print:

ing apparatus shown and described, as the same forms the subj ect-matter of a'divisional a plication filedby me'May 11, 1905, Serial 0. 259,888. Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

p 1. The combination with developing, fixing and washing mechanisms, of means for advancing a print successively and automatically from one of said mechanisms to another of said mechanisms, and means for shifting certain of said mechanisms relative to the others to vary the time of passage of the print through the developing-bath.

2. The combination of a developing-tray, a fixing-tray and a washing-tray, carriers in said several trays, means for operating said carriers in unison, said several carriers having supporting-rollers, and means for changing the relative position of said rollers without altering the tension of the carriers.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a scricsof successively-arranged baths, means i or passing a print successively from one bath to another and means for shifting one of said baths relative to the other to vary the period of transmission through certain of said baths.

4. The combination with a developingbath and a fixing-bath, of means for advancing the paper successively through said baths and means operatable by the fixing-bath for varying the period of development.

5. The combination with a wash-tray, of.

superposed developing and fixing trays, means for shifting the fixing-tray and means for accommodating the printed strip to the movements of said fixing-tray.-

6. The combination of a developing-tray, a shiftable fixing-tray, means for passing a printed strip successively from one tray to the other, a wash-tray and means by which the delivery of the dprinted strip into the Wash-tray'is adjuste the fixing-tray.

7. The combination with a developingbath and a fixing-bath of means for advancing the paper successively through said baths, and means operatable by the fixing-bath for varying the period of development said latter means comprising a direction-roller carried by the fixing-bath and arranged to project into the developing-bath.

8. The combination with a developingtray and a fixing-tray of means for giving the latter a shiftable movement, and a stripguidmg means carried by the fixing-tray and itirranged to be immersed in the developingray.

to the movements of ed to be passed, of means for shifting one tray relative to the other, direction devices for regulatingthe submergence of said strip in the trays and means for maintaining uniform tension on the strip during the movement of said shiftable tray. v

9. The combination with two successively-. arranged trays through which a strip is adapt-' 10. The combination with a developingtray, and a fixing-tray through which is adapted to be passed the strip to be developed, of means for shifting one tray relative to the other, guide-rollers in the several trays arranged to effect the submergence of the strip, means for driving the several rollers in unison and means for directing the strip from one tray to the other.

11. The combination with a developingtray, and a fixingtray through which is adapted to be passed the strip to be developed, of means for shifting one tray relative to the other, guide-rollers in the several trays arranged to effect the submergence of the strip, means for driving the several rollers in unison and means for directing the strip from one tray to the other, certain of said rollers being carried by and movable with one tray and adapted to be submerged in the other tra 1 The combination with a developingtray, and a fixing-tray through which is adapted to be passed the strip to be developed, of means for shifting one tray relative to the other, guide-rollers in the several trays arranged to effect the submergence of the strip, means for driving the several rollers in unison, means for directing the strip from one tray to the other, certain of said submerging-rollers being carried by and movable with the shiftable tray but dipping into the other tray.

13. The combination with a developingtray and a fixing-tray of means for giving the latter a shifting movement, and a strip-guiding means carried by the fixing-tray and arranged to be immersed in the developingtray, said guiding means comprising a yieldingly-supported guide-roller.

14. The combination with a developingtray and a washing-tray of an intermediate shiftable fixing-tray, and means for conveying a continuous printed strip or the like successively through said trays irrespective of the movements of the intermediate tray.

15. The combination of a developing-tray, a successively-arranged shiftable fixing-tray and a subj acent wash-tray and means for conveying a continuous printed strip or the like successivelythrough said trays irrespective of the movements of the fixing-tray.

16. The combination of a developing-tray,

a shiftable fixing-tray, a washing-tray, and

.means for directing a continuous strip or the in close proximity to the b0tt01n the1'cof, my hand in presence of two subscribing Witsaid means including a guide carried by the Y nesses. fixing-tray and projecting into the developing-tray, and a yiehlinglyrsupported guide for 5 directing the-strip from the fixing-tray t0 the- Witnesses:

washing-tray. Y GEO. T. KNOX. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 0. H. IIAR'I.

F. S. R. PRENTISS. 

